Color Out of Space
Nic Cage + Cosmic Horror = Crazy Delicious
Color Out of Space
Genre: Science-Fiction / Horror
Release Date: January 24, 2020
Running Time: 111 Minutes
Rated: Not Rated
Behind the Scenes
Directed by Richard Stanley
Written by Richard Stanley & Scarlett Amaris
Cinematography by Steve Annis
Music by Colin Stetson
Produced by SpectreVision (Elijah Wood, Daniel Noah, Josh C. Waller)
In Front of the Camera
Nicolas Cage (MANDY, 8MM)
Joely Richardson (EVENT HORIZON)
Madeleine Arthur (TO ALL THE BOYS I’VE LOVED BEFORE)
Brendan Meyer (THE GUEST, THE OA)
Tommy Chong (UP IN SMOKE, NICE DREAMS)
What’s It About?
“After a meteorite lands in the front yard of their farm, Nathan Gardner (Nicolas Cage) and his family find themselves battling a mutant extraterrestrial organism as it infects their minds and bodies, transforming their quiet rural life into a living nightmare.” — RLJE Films
Why You Should Check it Out
Stephen King once called Lovecraft "the twentieth century's greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale." The New England writer was responsible for King's own fascination with the macabre and inspired the work of John Carpenter, H.R. Giger, Mike Mignola, Guillermo del Toro, Neil Gaiman, and so many others. There have been countless film adaptations of his work, most notably those of Stuart Gordon, who brought us RE-ANIMATOR, FROM BEYOND, CASTLE FREAK, and DAGON. When it comes to "The Colour Out of Space," the short story has been adapted numerous times: DIE, MONSTER, DIE! (1965), THE CURSE (1987), COLOUR FROM THE DARK (2008), 2010's DIE FARBE (THE COLOR), etc. And while it isn't directly related, 2018's ANNIHILATION — based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer — shares many similarities with Lovecraft's story.
What's so interesting about Richard Stanley's big-screen version of COLOR OUT OF SPACE, however, is that it's incredibly faithful to the source material and yet manages to be more than just another adaption. It's an over-the-top, candy-coated descent into cosmic insanity that feels like a spiritual sequel to Gordon's From Beyond. It's funny, deeply disturbing, and unabashedly weird. I mean, we're talking about Nic Cage playing Jack Torrance, if Jack Torrance maintained an alpaca farm instead of the Overlook Hotel, driven mad not by ghosts but by a reality-splintering psychedelic alien lifeform. Cage flips between restrained and unhinged like a possessed light switch, completely selling us on the idea that he is under not only Stanley's influence but the hold of some unknown terror from the beyond.
COLOR OUT OF SPACE — like Stanley's entire body of work — isn't for everyone, and that's what makes it awesome. It has a distinct voice, a unique personality, and it simply doesn't fit in with the mainstream. It's this alien force, beyond the human spectrum, attempting to communicate with us and, in the process, altering our way of thinking.
Read my full review at First Showing. COLOR OUT OF SPACE is available on DVD, Blu-Ray, 4K, and Digital. For more recent horror recommendations, check out my Top 25 Horror Films of 2019 at Letterboxd.
You May Also Like…
If you like this, you may also enjoy:
MANDY (Amazon Prime Video / Shudder )
FROM BEYOND (Amazon Prime Video)
ANNIHILATION (Amazon Prime Video)
Shock Waves Episode 153: Elijah Wood and Daniel Noah (Podcast)
LOVECRAFT: FEAR OF THE UNKNOWN (YouTube)
Slices:
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Trailer
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